The present invention relates to the training of military pilots in electronic warfare countermeasures which must be taken by an aircraft threatened by electronically guided threats such as a surface-to-air missile, automatic aircraft artillery, and airborne interceptor. A common characteristic of these weapons is the fact that they are controlled by electromechanical radiation signals emitted by guiding stations and/or by the weapons themselves.
The standard defensive measure consists of detecting and interpreting these guiding signals in order to give warning to the pilot of the aircrafts which come within these weapons range of action. The pilot may then undertake evasive maneuvers to avoid these threats or take electronic countermeasure to deflect or abort these weapons.
The aircraft used in electronic countermeasure operation is normally equipped with radar warning (or threat signal) receiver which is tuned to the enemy's guidance signals and with a signal processor which interprets these signals and controls the display instrumentation of the cockpit. The logic circuitry of the signal processor is based on the knowledge about the enemy's weapon derived through combat experience and intelligence gathering operations.
Pilots are trained through exercises on an air combat maneuvering range. The training of aircrews in the proper use of their radar warning (threat signal) receivers is extremely important to survival in combat environment. In dog-fight training the pilot must be taught to cope with surface-to-air missiles and automatic aircraft artillery threats as well as to attack airborne targets.
At the present time it is not possible to accomplish this training without expensive simulation of combat environment by ground equipment mimicking the enemy guidance activity of their weapons.
A very informative description of this type of electromagnetic threat simulation devices can be read in the May 30, 1977 issue of the magazine AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY.
The basic air combat maneuvering range comprises a control ground station, at least one training craft and a plurality of signal emitting stations. The signal emitting stations are programed for mimicking the radar control signals of a surface-to-air missile, automatic aircraft artillery or airborne target. The aircraft detects simulated threat signals, interprets them and cause an azimuth indication of the location of the simulated threats to be displayed on the cockpit instruments.
The pilot reaction to these threats is monitored at the ground control station by means of aircraft position indicator equipment installed in a pod attached to the aircraft. The pod comprises a receiver and a transmitter linked to the ground control station. The ground control station can interrogate the pod via an uplink message. The pod transmits data indicating the position, speed, direction of travel and other parameters to the ground station via a down-link message.
The ground station is thus able to monitor the activity of the aircraft in response to the signal emitted by the mimicking stations.
The operation of an air combat maneuvering range of the type just described has many shortcomings.
Firstly, the large amount of electromagnetic radiations emitted by the mimicking stations often interfere with television and radio communications in the area of the range.
Secondly, those electromagnetic radiations can be easily monitored by hostile powers who can learn from such operations how much is known about their weaponery. They can also learn much about the countermeasures taken by the aircraft pilot. From these observations, they can devise anti-counter measure techniques for their weapons.
Thirdly, the complexity and cost of the equipment required to properly mimic the weapon guidance signals can reach staggering proportions.
Finally, the proper operation of the range requires a complex communication network between the ground control station, the weapon mimicking stations and the aircraft.